“I was raised by a woman who went through the great depression.”
There have been many times that I have repeated that quote to explain my bizarre behavior. My mother experienced “the great depression” as a young girl and it wasn’t pretty. This was when the stock market fell and banks closed (sounds eerily familiar). There were no jobs and no money. She raised vegetables in a garden and canned them for the winter. Times were tough. It had a profound effect on my mother that lasted her entire life.
When I was growing up we didn’t waste anything. If something wore out at one spot, we repurposed it somehow. I remember making a gorgeous skirt out of one of my mother’s dresses. We relined coats. We gave away anything that still had life in it. If I didn’t eat my green beans, there were all those starving kids in Biafra (we really didn’t send food there but there was always the threat). Is there any question that I would have trouble throwing usable things away?
I am not a packrat and can easily throw out anything that is broken, useless or stupid purchases like that hot pink nail polish (what was I thinking?). I have no trouble weeding out clothes as long as I know they are going someplace where they may be useful. But if something is still good and I don’t have someone to give it to, I am paralyzed into inaction.
Even in the garden, I hate to pull a volunteer seedling. Someone may want it so I plant it up and email everyone I know. There are some friends who have my emails go directly to spam because I am so pathetic. (I know who you are!)
I recently pulled out three wonderful shrubs that were only a year old. It seems the deer in my area thought they were wonderful too so…munch, munch, munch. I harassed a friend explaining different areas where they would be attractive in her already overplanted (her words, not mine) yard. She finally said, “No.” So far, I have found homes for two of them and have a lead for the third. This is just crazy! They are shrubs!
Four years ago, when a stray kitten stumbled into my humble home, I found a good home for him in three days. Then there was the old freezer, bed frame, picnic table, you get the picture.
I am usually very good for about two hours before the “depression paralysis” overtakes me. I also have no trouble throwing out anything that belongs to the beloved husband. For things that are technically mine – it’s a different story. Maybe I’ll need it next year or maybe someone else can use it. Frankly, I know in my head that no one really wants my junk but my heart tells me something else.
We are now cleaning out the garage, attic and basement – a very ambitious project. The garage was really interesting. There was a collection of stuff that neither of us owned up to nor did we have any idea what they were from or for. That was an easy toss. Then we got to the garden supplies, not so easy.
We all carry baggage from our childhood. Given the choices, I guess my baggage isn’t as destructive as some. However, no amount of coaxing, visualizing or therapy has made it go away. Thank God for Craigslist.
Photo courtesy of Kevin Burkett from Flickr
Views and Mews by Coffee Kat 
Pingback: 2011 Salute to Subscribers Wrap-up | Renovating Rita
Those who lived that era continued living their life in a way marked by that era. For sure – frugal and cheap are not synonyms …. and only one of the two words is associated with smart!
PS: First-time visitor via Rita.
LikeLike
You are so right! Thanks for visiting.
LikeLike
Pingback: Reblog: The Great Depression (via Views and Mews by Coffee Kat) « Renovating Rita
Pingback: How Bad Is It? Great Depression or Recovering Recession? « Alternative Health Answers
I know what you mean about volunteers popping up and I do not have the heart to pull them and just toss them. I am getting better with it as I just need to start downsizing so I can see the plants in their full beauty. As for the bushes I really did consider taking them but then decided to put up small fences to hide the junk yard next door – at least for those areas there will be no weeding, trimming or dying of the bushes. But remember there is alot of you in my yard and that is a good thing!
LikeLike
Oh, this is too good and too close to home! I hang on to things so long, always believing that as soon as I throw them away, I’ll need them. Eerily, that really happens. I have a serious space problem that makes matters worse…which is too much space (outbuildings, barn, shed) to house these important things. I figure that if I have everything packed away neatly, that I’m actually preserving them. I wish the mice would respect that when they’re looking for cozy places to nest for the winter! ~Dawn
LikeLike
I have Joe Pye Weed overtaking my garden because I can’t bear to throw out a healthy, viable plant and no one wants anymore of it. I’m thinking of sneaking into people’s yards and planting it under the cover of darkness.
LikeLike
That thought has crossed my mind. What I have done is give someone something they want and then add a few other things in with them. I always tell them they will love it no matter what it is! I have Joe Pye Weed (which is wonderful) so no, I don’t want yours!
LikeLike
Another comment. I love your picture at the top. I have a copy of that picture with “yours truly” standing in the line with those guys. I should send you a copy.
LikeLike
I was born during that era and remember it well. Money was always tight. Even though the entire neighborhood was poor, we never quite felt the same. Mom had a way of making us seem a little better off than the others. The victory gardens were a boom. Grandpop, the farmer, raised a pig for us, and mom canned everything. I agree, mom was a marvel! I think Obama could learn much from her.
LikeLike
My husband can’t thin the radishes. They are all trying so hard!
LikeLike
Yeah, I grew carrots this year. Same deal! Most of them rotted between the heavy rains and not getting thinned.
LikeLike